Our cat has just had kittens - now what?

[SquidgyMummy]

Sorry to sound so clueless but I am. We were given a cat last year, she was about 6 months old and we didn't have her spayed straight away. Anyway, fast forward and she had 3 kittens last night. She had them on DS's bed, so we have left them there for now and have been giving our cat lots of milk and foo din situ so she can feed them in peace. I think some friends may take a couple of kittens, or I will ask at DS's preschool this morning, If they won't and we may possibly keep one.

So a friend messaged me on facebook and said to leave them alone as much as possible. I have put a litter tray in for our cat (she normally goes outside) and am have left food for her, but usually hold the bowl on the bed so she can stay close to the kittens.

So have googled and kittens need to stay with their mums for 8 weeks - is this correct? (or do they need longer?)

Also, I want to get her spayed asap - does anyone know how soon this can be done (ie I am assuming it is after the kittens are weaned.) Also to get a rough idea how, how much does it cost to get kittens vaccinated? - we are in France, so don't have a clue.

Any other tips gratefully received!

[SquidgyMummy]

good grief. I'm not having any more kittens.

I have just readhere that they can get pregnant 2 weeks after giving birth, and also whilst pregnant [shocked].

according to what I am reading on the internet, i should wait till the kittens are 8 weeks old, but I am terrified of her getting pregnant again - especially as we are due to go on holiday at the beginning of May for a week.

I am going to call the vet this morning.

[SquidgyMummy]

cozietoes did your cat Cheeky get pregnant whilst she still had young kittens?

[cozietoesie]

She and her kits went on to pastures new very shortly after that (genuinely pastures new - I think I told some of her story here one winter's night) so I never saw the outcome. I would imagine so, however.

(She went on to become the cat matriarch of a large Scottish island farm where her undoubted hunting abilities could be put to best use. Most ferocious killer I ever saw.)

[cozietoesie]

PS - I wouldn't worry too too much about the strict timing of it all because if she were to become pregnant, spaying would (in effect) take care of that problem. It's just that when they're a-courting, they can get really stupid and dash out into the road without looking if they see a handsome bit of stuff in a neighbouring field. You don't need to be left with motherless kittens to raise all by yourself.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Ask the vet if you can have a discount for neutering them all if you pay upfront.

That way none of them have a life of repeated pregnancy or a short life due to the road.

[PurpleSproutingBroccoli]

Absolutely gorgeous :) - I really hate to be coming on here with a note of caution, but as she isn't spayed, the poster upthread is right about toms hanging around. Toms are very dangerous for new kittens. Basically, if they get rid of the kittens, then mum will immediately go into season. We had a litter of kittens killed by a tom when I was a child and I've never got over it :(

[cozietoesie]

I've never had that happen myself (although I know it's true for big cats in the wild) but I think it's fair to say that neither can they count. If they knew Mom before she littered, they would in all likelihood assume the kits were theirs and do them no harm. (And indeed and going by the OP's timeline, the kittens might well be the offspring of the local Big Boy.)

I'm not gainsaying the need for spaying at the earliest possible date by the way.

[SquidgyMummy]

Fluffy thanks for the advice about a discount.

There's not that many cats around here - we are very rural - we had never seen the tomcat father before.

Mumcat is quite naughty though wandering off leaving the kittens. I usually check on them when I get up and they are warm with a very full belly so I think she usually only leaves them shortly before I get to them.

This morning I covered them with the duvet in their box to keep them warm and mumcat sauntered back a couple of hours later and started looking in DS's room (where she delivered them) to look for them.

Anyway, still haven't called the vet, will look up a number now.

[cozietoesie]

Little hussy.

[SquidgyMummy]

Just made an appointment; the vet does home visits and will be 110 euros - I think that is ok.

Appointment is on the 29th April - just worrying that she will get pregnant before then.... I can't lock her in for 2 weeks.

[SquidgyMummy]

How do you know when they are on heat? If it means poking round her nether regions, DP will have to look; he's less squeamish than me

[cozietoesie]

Trust me, you would be in no doubt if she was a housecat - they're like very noisy imps of Satan - but as she's an outside-ish cat, she'll just head off to the woods so you can assume the worst.

Don't worry too much if she gets pregnant, as I said above. The spaying would take care of that because she'd be at a pretty early stage.

[SquidgyMummy]

the spaying is just ovary removal...

I am not really sure what to do. I let her go out because she makes a right mess when she uses the litter tray - kicking the litter everywhere and it stinks.

I might try and bring the vet visit forward a week. Vet said she has to allow 2 weeks for cat to recover from the delivery, and then the milk will last 2months - so that is plenty of time for weaning

[Fluffycloudland77]

Isn't ovary & uterus removal?

[PurpleSproutingBroccoli]

Cozie, I'm glad it isn't a universal thing! It really was awful. There was more than one tom hanging around - quite a stream of them IIRC, although I was only about 10 or so. They were in a shed in the garden. I'd heard that toms killed kittens and guarded them as best as I could, but then I had to go to school and my Mum wouldn't believe me :(

[cozietoesie]

Ah - lots of toms would complicate matters because you're bound to have jostling for position - with maybe an interloper or three - so the situation would be a tad fraught.

[cozietoesie]

In the UK, it's both as far as I know, Fluffy, but I don't know what the practice is in France.

[sashh]

Squidgy

Discuss with the vet, but most vets (in the UK) will ask if you want to go ahead if she is pregnant and for them to remove the pregnancy at the same time.

As for new tom cats, well they can smell a female on heat 2 miles away, and they will travel.

A home visit for 110 euro sounds OK to me.

[SquidgyMummysCat]

(It's still me, Squidgy; had to re-register as problems with changing password.)

I am worried about the cat getting pregnant as she does wander off for a bit early mornings.

I am going to call another vet and find out whether it is aFrench thing that they only remove ovaries, or a mobile vet thing (ie bigger operation to remove uterus)

I will have to have any further cat pregnancy terminated as the sterilisation will dry up her milk supply within 2 months.

Can the vet do a pregnancy test easily?

Also have found out the kittens are all boys!

[Fluffycloudland77]

Oh that's good, it's cheaper to neuter boys. Seeing as you'll be keeping them

[cozietoesie]

Good luck and let us know the outcome. (It's not something I would fancy discussing in detail in French but then my French is .....approximate...... nowadays.)

[sashh]

Can the vet do a pregnancy test easily?

My understanding is that when they do the op they can remove the uterus and the contents if there are any rather than a test as such

[cozietoesie]

Trouble is, sashh, that you're talking about practice in France here. It may be the same as the UK - but on the other hand.........

[SquidgyMummysCat]

My babies!!

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

Awwwwwwwwww

They are beautiful

(You will keep them all )